Electro-static discharge power supply clamp with disablement latch

ABSTRACT

The described devices, systems and methods include an electro-static discharge clamp with a latch to prevent false triggering of an electro-static discharge protection circuit in response to fluctuations in a power supply rail.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication 61/256,742 entitled, “ESD Power Supply Clamp WithDisablement Latch,” filed Oct. 30, 2009, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This application relates to electo-static discharge (ESD) protectioncircuits. The application further relates to preventing false triggeringof an ESD protection circuit in response to fluctuations on the powersupply.

BACKGROUND

Power supply clamps are used for ESD protection in complementary metaloxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits. FIG. 1 depicts a common ESDprotection circuit 10 for an integrated circuit consisting of aresistor-capacitor (RC) time constant network 12 composed of a resistor14 and a capacitor 16. The RC time constant network 12 is connected toan inverter 18, which in turn drives a transistor array 20 to clamp thepower supply to ground during the ESD event. The ESD protection circuit10 is designed to stay on only long enough to dissipate the ESD pulseand then turn off again. The length of time that the ESD protectioncircuit 10 is on is controlled by the RC time constant connected to theinverter 18. One notable feature of the ESD protection circuit 10 isthat each time the integrated circuit is powered up, a current spikeoccurs while the clamp is on prior to the RC trigger timing out. Formost applications, this short surge of current is purely incidental andis not detrimental to the functioning of the integrated circuit.

However, the ESD protection circuit 10 may also turn on when voltagetransients cause large enough swings on the supply rails. If thesevoltage transients are inherent to an application, for example with DCto DC buck converters, the transistor array 20 can stay on indefinitely,which draws down the power rail. Another scenario where the ESDprotection circuit 10 may be problematic is when the power supply iscurrent limited such that the power supply is drawn down when thetransistor array 20 turns on momentarily at startup of the integratedcircuit. When the RC time constant releases, the voltage suddenly spikesup. At this point, the clamp may turn on again and a recurringoscillation ensues.

Thus, there is a need for a new ESD clamp circuit that is insensitive tothe transients produced on the power rail of an integrated circuit.

SUMMARY OF THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments in the detailed description relate to an ESD clamp with alatch to preventing false triggering of an ESD protection circuit inresponse to fluctuations in a power supply. As a first example, an ESDclamp includes a resistor coupled to a power supply node of anintegrated circuit. A capacitor is coupled to the resistor to form afirst node, wherein the capacitor is also coupled to a common node ofthe integrated circuit. A first p-type field effect transistor (PFET)includes a gate, a source coupled to the power supply node, and a draincoupled to the first node. An inverter includes an inverter input and aninverter output, wherein the inverter input is in communication with thefirst node and the inverter output is in communication with the gate ofthe first PFET. In addition, the ESD clamp includes an n-type fieldeffect transistor (NFET) including a gate in communication with theinverter output, a drain coupled to the power supply node, and a sourcecoupled to the common node.

A second example of an electro-static discharge (ESD) clamp includes aresistor coupled to a power supply node of an integrated circuit and acapacitor coupled to the resistor to form a first node. The capacitor isfurther coupled to a common node of the integrated circuit. The ESDclamp also includes a first NFET including a gate, a source coupled tothe first node, and a drain coupled to the power supply node. TheESD-clamp further includes a first inverter including a first inverterinput and a first inverter output, wherein the first inverter input isin communication with the first node and a second inverter including asecond inverter input and a second inverter output, wherein the secondinverter input is coupled to the first inverter output to form a secondnode, and the second inverter output is coupled to the gate of the firstNFET. The ESD clamp also includes a second NFET including a gate coupledto the second node, a drain coupled to the power supply node, and asource coupled to a common node.

Yet another ESD clamp includes a resistor coupled to a power supply nodeand a first capacitor coupled to a common node and further coupled tothe first resistor to form a first node. The ESD clamp also includes afirst inverter including a first inverter input coupled to the firstnode, a first inverter output coupled to a second node, and a clearinput, wherein the first inverter is configured to output a logic lowlevel upon assertion of the clear input. The ESD clamp further includesa second inverter including a second inverter input coupled to thesecond node, and an inverter output coupled to the clear input of thefirst inverter and a first NFET including a gate coupled to the secondnode, a drain coupled to the power supply node, and a gate coupled tothe common node.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the disclosure andrealize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detaileddescription in association with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of thisspecification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and, togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts an ESD clamp.

FIG. 2 depicts an example power clamp with a disablement latch.

FIG. 3 depicts a transistor level power clamp with a disablement latchof FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 depicts an example power clamp with disablement latch.

FIG. 5 depicts a transistor level power clamp with a disablement latchof FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 depicts a three inverter clamp with disablement circuit.

FIG. 7 depicts a single inverter clamp with disablement circuit.

FIG. 8 depicts an example power clamp having a NOR circuit withdisablement circuit.

FIG. 9 depicts an example power clamp having a NOR circuit withdisablement circuit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information toenable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure andillustrate the best mode of practicing the disclosure. Upon reading thefollowing description in light of the accompanying drawings, thoseskilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure andwill recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressedherein. It should be understood that these concepts and applicationsfall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

The described devices, systems and methods relate to an ESD clamp with alatch to preventing false triggering of an ESD protection circuit inresponse to fluctuations in the power supply. As a first example, an ESDclamp includes a resistor coupled to a power supply node of anintegrated circuit. A capacitor is coupled to the resistor to form afirst node, wherein the capacitor is also coupled to a common node ofthe integrated circuit. A first PFET includes a gate, a source coupledto the power supply node, and a drain coupled to the first node. Aninverter includes an inverter input and an inverter output, wherein theinverter input is in communication with the first node and the inverteroutput is in communication with the gate of the first PFET. In addition,the ESD clamp includes an NFET including a gate in communication withthe inverter output, a drain coupled to the power supply node, and asource coupled to the common node. When the power supply node is poweredup, the second PFET is turned on, which keeps the input of the inverterasserted. As a consequence, the output of the inverter is held at alogic low level, which prevents the NFET from sinking current from thepower supply node during a power glitch.

FIG. 2 depicts a power clamp with a disablement latch 22 having a firstPFET configured as a dynamic resistor 24 coupled to a second PFETconfigured as a MOS capacitor 26. The dynamic resistor 34 is coupled tothe power supply node (V_(DD)) of an integrated circuit and the MOScapacitor 26 to form a resistor capacitor (RC) time constant circuit.The MOS capacitor 26 is further coupled to a common voltage (V_(SS)). Insome embodiments the common voltage (V_(SS)) may be ground.

A first inverter 28 includes an inverter input coupled to the junctionof the dynamic resistor 24 and MOS capacitor 26. The inverter output ofthe first inverter 28 is coupled to a gate of NFET 30. The drain of theNFET 30 may be coupled to the power supply node (V_(DD)) of theintegrated circuit. The source of the NFET 30 may be coupled to thecommon voltage (V_(SS)). The NFET 30 may be an array of transistors.

The power clamp with the disablement latch 22 further includes a secondinverter 32 coupled in series with a third inverter 34, where the inputof the second inverter 32 is coupled to the inverter output of the firstinverter 28. The inverter output of the third inverter 34 is coupled tothe gate of the third PFET 36. The drain of the third PFET 36 is coupledto the inverter input of the first inverter 28.

Functionally, when no power is applied to the power supply node(V_(DD)), the power clamp with the disablement latch 22 is in a powerdown mode, and all the nodes are nominally at a zero volt potential.Upon receipt of an ESD discharge, the MOS capacitor 26 holds the inputof the first inverter 28 low while turning on the first inverter 28. Asa result, the first inverter 28 provides a turn-on voltage to the gateof the NFET 30. In response to the voltage applied to the gate of theNFET 30, the NFET 30 shunts the EDS current to ground. The third PFET 36is turned off. The MOS capacitor 26 is charged up through the dynamicresistor 24. After the turn-on voltage applied to the MOS capacitor 26reaches the logic threshold level of the first inverter 28, the firstinverter 28 asserts a logic low output, which turns off the NFET 30 andturns on the third PFET 36.

Alternatively, when power is applied to the power supply node (V_(DD)),the MOS capacitor 26 is charged up through the dynamic resistor 24.After the voltage applied to the MOS capacitor 26 reaches the logicthreshold level of the first inverter 28, the first inverter 28 assertsa logic low output, which turns off the NFET 30. Likewise, the feedbackof the output of the first inverter 28 to the third PFET 36 ensures thatthe input of the first inverter 28 remains pulled high in the eventthere is a glitch or some instability on the power supply node (V_(DD)).

FIG. 3 depicts a transistor implementation of the power clamp with adisablement latch 22. The first inverter 28 is composed of a fourth PFET38 coupled to a second NFET 40. The second inverter 32 includes a fifthPFET 42 coupled to a third NFET 44. The third inverter 34 includes asixth PFET 46 coupled to a fourth NFET 48.

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict an ESD clamp with disablement latch 50 which issimilar to the ESD clamp with disablement latch 22 depicted in FIGS. 2and 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the ESD clamp with disablement latch 50removes the third inverter 34 and replaces the third PFET 36 with afifth NFET 52. The source of the fifth NFET 52 is coupled to the inputof the first inverter 28. The drain of the fifth NFET 52 is coupled tothe power supply node (V_(DD)).

Continuing with reference to FIG. 4, functionally, the ESD clamp withdisablement latch 50 operates similarly to the ESD clamp withdisablement latch 22 except that the second inverter 32 asserts a logichigh signal on the gate of the fifth NFET 52, which causes the fifthNFET 52 to go into saturation. When the fifth NFET 52 is in saturation,the output of the first inverter 28 is held low, which turns off theNFET 30.

Alternatively, when power is applied to the power supply node (V_(DD)),the MOS capacitor 26 is charged through the dynamic resistor 24. Afterthe voltage applied to the MOS capacitor 26 reaches the logic thresholdlevel of the first inverter 28, the first inverter 28 asserts a logiclow output, which turns off the NFET 30. Likewise, the feedback of theoutput of the first inverter 28 to the fifth NFET 52 ensures that theinput to the first inverter 28 remains pulled high in the event there isa glitch or some instability on the power supply node (V_(DD)).

FIG. 5 depicts a transistor level diagram of the ESD clamp withdisablement latch 50.

FIG. 6 depicts a three inverter clamp with disablement circuit having afirst resistor 56 coupled to the power supply node (VDD) and a firstcapacitor 58. The first capacitor 58 is coupled to the common node(VSS), which may be ground. The input of a first inverter 60 is coupledto the first resistor 56 and first capacitor 58. The output of the firstinverter 60 is coupled to the input of a second inverter 62. The outputof the second inverter 62 is coupled to the input of an inverter withclear circuit 64.

The inverter with clear circuit 64 includes an inverter input 66, andinverter output 68, and a clear input 70. The inverter with clearcircuit 64 is configured to output a logic low level upon assertion ofthe clear input 70. Otherwise, the inverter with clear circuit 64operates as an inverter when the clear input 70 is deasserted.

The inverter with clear circuit 64 includes a first PFET 72 coupled to afirst NFET 74 to form the inverter input 66. The drain of the first PFET72 is coupled to the source of a second PFET 76. The drain of the secondPFET 76 is coupled to the drain of the first NFET 74 to form theinverter output 68. The gate of the second PFET 76 and the gate of asecond NFET 78 are coupled to form the clear input 70 of the inverterwith clear circuit 64. The drain of the second NFET 78 is also coupledto the inverter output 68.

Functionally, when the clear input 70 is deasserted to a logic levellow, the inverter with clear circuit 64 functions as an inverter. Thesecond PFET 76 is turned on and the second NFET 78 is turned off.

However, when the clear input 70 is asserted to a logic level high, theinverter with clear circuit 64 outputs a logic level low on the inverteroutput 68 of the inverter with clear circuit 64. The second PFET 76 isturned off and the second NFET 78 is turned on, which forces theinverter output to a logic level low.

Continuing with the description of the three inverter clamp withdisablement circuit 54, the inverter output 68 is coupled to the firstNFET 74 and an inverter input of the third inverter 80. The output ofthe third inverter 80 is coupled to a second capacitor 82 and the clearinput 70.

Operationally, when no power is applied to the power supply node(V_(DD)), the three inverter clamp with disablement circuit 54 is in apower down mode and all the nodes are nominal at a zero volt potential.Upon receipt of an ESD discharge, the first capacitor 58 holds the inputof the first inverter 60 at a logic level low, which causes the secondinverter 62 to assert a logic level high output. Likewise, the secondcapacitor 82 holds the clear input 70 at a logic level low, whichenables the inverter with clear circuit 64 to assert a logic level highat the inverter output 68. This, in turn, turns on the clamping array84. The logic level high at the inverter output 68 asserts the thirdinverter 80, which reinforces the clear input 70 to be held low untilthe ESD energy is discharged through the clamping array 84.

Alternatively, when power is applied to the power supply node (V_(DD)),the first capacitor 58 reaches the logic threshold level of the firstinverter 60, which turns off the clamping array 84 and asserts a logiclevel low on the inverter input of the third inverter 80. As a result,the clear input 70 of the inverter with clear circuit 64 is asserted toa logic level high, which reinforces the inverter output 68 to remain atthe logic level low.

As depicted in FIG. 7, the single inverter clamp with disablementcircuit 86 is functionally the same as the three inverter clamp withdisablement circuit 54 except the first inverter 60 and the secondinverter 62 are removed. As a consequence, the inverter input 66 of theinverter with clear circuit 64 is directly coupled to the firstcapacitor 58 and first resistor 56.

The single inverter clamp with disablement circuit 86 is functionallyequivalent to the inverter with clear circuit 64. The inverter withclear circuit 88 includes a first PFET 90 and a first NFET 92 coupled toform the inverter input 66 and inverter output 68. The second PFET 94 iscoupled to the source of the first PFET 90, which acts to disable theinverter output 68 when the clear input 70 is asserted. Similar to thesecond NFET 78 of the three inverter with disablement circuit 54, adrain of a second NFET 96 is coupled to the inverter output 68, whichacts to pull down the inverter output 68 when the clear input 70 isasserted.

As depicted in FIG. 8, the single inverter clamp with disablementcircuit 86 depicted in FIG. 7 may be replaced by a NOR circuit 100. Thefirst input of the NOR circuit 100 may be coupled to the first capacitor58 and first resistor 56. The output of the NOR circuit 100 may becoupled to the clamping array 84 and the input of the third inverter 80.The output of the third inverter 80 is coupled to the second input ofthe NOR circuit 100 and to the second capacitor 82. As before, thesecond capacitor 82 and transmission time of the third inverter 80delays the output of the third inverter 80 to permit the clamping array84 to stay on for a desired period of time.

As depicted in FIG. 9, the inverter with clear circuit 64 depicted inFIG. 6 may likewise be replaced with a NOR circuit 100. Similar toabove, the first resistor 56 and first capacitor 58 are coupled to theinput of the first inverter 60. The output of the first inverter 60 iscoupled to the input of the second inverter 62. The first inverter 60and second inverter 62 provide a delay before the NOR circuit 100detects a transient spike on the V_(DD). Otherwise, the circuit of FIG.9 functionally operates similar to the circuit of FIG. 8.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modificationsto the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements andmodifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosedherein and the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A circuit for protecting integrated circuitrycomprising: an integrated circuit including a power supply node and acommon node; a resistor coupled to the power supply node of theintegrated circuit; a capacitor coupled to the resistor to form a firstnode, wherein the capacitor is also coupled to the common node of theintegrated circuit; a first PFET including a gate, a source coupled tothe power supply node, and a drain coupled to the first node; aninverter including an inverter input and an inverter output, wherein theinverter input is in communication with the first node and the inverteroutput is in communication with the gate of the first PFET; and an NFETincluding a gate in communication with the inverter output, a draincoupled to the power supply node, and a source coupled to the commonnode, wherein the drain of the first PFET is directly coupled to thefirst node.
 2. The circuit for protecting integrated circuitry of claim1 wherein the inverter is a first inverter, further comprising: a secondinverter including an inverter output and an inverter input, wherein theinverter input of the second inverter is coupled to the inverter outputof the first inverter; a third inverter including an inverter output andan inverter input, wherein the inverter input of the third inverter iscoupled to the inverter output of the second inverter, and the inverteroutput of the third inverter is coupled to the gate of the first PFET.3. The circuit for protecting integrated circuitry of claim 1 whereinthe capacitor is a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitor.
 4. Thecircuit for protecting integrated circuitry of claim 1 wherein theresistor is a dynamic resistor.
 5. The circuit for protecting integratedcircuitry of claim 1 wherein the NFET includes an array of transistors.6. A circuit for protecting integrated circuitry comprising: anintegrated circuit including a power supply node and a common node; aresistor coupled to the power supply node of the integrated circuit; acapacitor coupled to the resistor to form a first node, and wherein thecapacitor is further coupled to the common node of the integratedcircuit; a first NFET including a gate, a source coupled to the firstnode, and a drain coupled to the power supply node; a first inverterincluding a first inverter input and a first inverter output, whereinthe first inverter input is in communication with the first node; asecond inverter including a second inverter input and a second inverteroutput, wherein the second inverter input is coupled to the firstinverter output to form a second node, and the second inverter output iscoupled to the gate of the first NFET; a second NFET including a gatecoupled to the second node, a drain coupled to the power supply node,and a source coupled to a common node.
 7. The circuit for protectingintegrated circuitry of claim 6 wherein the common node is a groundnode.
 8. The circuit for protecting integrated circuitry of claim 6wherein the resistor is a dynamic resistor.
 9. The circuit forprotecting integrated circuitry of claim 6 wherein the capacitor is ametal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitor.
 10. The circuit forprotecting integrated circuitry of claim 6 wherein the second NFETincludes an array of transistors.